French Er Verbs

French -er verbs make the most common group of verbs in French. The majority of verbs in French are -er verbs and therefore tend to pose the least problems to students. As a group, there are very few irregular -er verbs as well. . .making them the most predictable, most commonly used verbs in the language.

How to Conjugate French -ER Verbs

French -er verbs follow a very basic conjugation pattern. To conjugate an -er verb, you should first drop the -er on the end. This root form is called a 'radical'. To the radical, you then add endings according to the subject of the verb:

Regular French -ER Verbs

It is impossible to list all of the -er verbs in French. However, you will find that these are the most commonly used. The following verbs have no irregularities and are conjugated normally:

abaisser - to lower

accepter - to accept

accompagner - to accompany

accorder - to admit

admirer - to admire

adorer - to adore

aider - to help

aimer - to like (to love)

ajouter - to add

amuser - to amuse

apporter - to bring

approcher - to approach

arrêter - to stop

arriver - to arrive

assister - to attend

avancer - to advance

bavarder - to chat

blesser - to hurt or offend

brosser - to brush

brûler - to burn

cacher - to hide

casser - to break

causer - to cause or to chat (informally)

chanter - to sing

chercher - to look for

commander - to order

compter - to count

conseiller - to advise or to give advice

continuer - to continue

contrôler - to control

coucher - to put to bed (se coucher means to go to bed)

couper - to cut

coûter -to cost

crier - to cry out

danser - to dance

décider - to decide

déjeuner - to eat lunch

demander - to ask for

dépêcher - to hurry

détester - to hate

deviner - to guess

dîner - to dine

discuter - to discuss

donner - to give

douter - to doubt

échapper - to escape

écouter - to listen

employer - to use

encourager - to encourage

enseigner - to teach

entrer - to enter

étudier - to study

excuser - to excuse

exister - to exist

expliquer - to explain

explorer - to explore

fâcher - to get angry

fermer - to close

fumer - to smoke

gagner - to win or earn

garder - to keep

gaspiller - to waste

goûter - to taste

habiller - to dress

habiter - to live

insister -to insist

intéresser - to interes

inviter - to invite

jouer - to play

laisser - to leave

laver - to wash

monter - to climb

montrer - to show

neiger - to snow

occuper - to occupy

oublier - to forget

pardonner - to forgive

parler - to talk

passer to pass or spend time

peigner - to comb

penser - to think

pleurer - to cry

préparer - to prepare

présenter - to present

quitter - to leave

raconter - to retell

regarder - to look at

refuser - to refuse

remarquer - to notice

rencontrer - to meet

rentrer - to return

reposer - to rest

rester - to remain

sembler - to seem

séparer - to separate

souhaiter - to wish

tomber - to fall

travailler - to work

Stem-Changing -ER Verbs

Stem changing verbs still follow the regular conjugation patterns; however, they still have two different stems or radicals: one for the je, tu, il, and ils. The stem changes are as follows:

Verbs ending in -e_er, and -é_er change the e to è

Verbs ending in -eler change, have an extra l before the ending

Verbs ending in -yer, substitute an "i" for the "y" in the conjugation.

Some common stem changing verbs include:

acheter - to buy

achever - to achieve

amener - to take

appeler - to call

céder - to give up

compléter - to complete

considérer - to consider

ennuyer - to bore or annoy

envoyer - to send

éspérer - to hope

essayer - to try

inquiéter - to worry

jeter - to throw

lever - to lift or stand

nettoyer - to clean

payer - to pay

préférer - to prefer

promener - to walk

protéger - to protect

répéter - to repeat

suggérer - to suggest

tomber - to fall

travailler - to work

trouver - to find

utiliser - to use

visiter - to visit

Spelling Change -ER Verbs

-ER verbs that end in -ger, and -cer require a slight spelling change to maintain the soft "g" or soft "c". The easiest way to remember how to work with a spelling changing verb is to remember that the 'g' and 'c' are soft before and 'i' and before an 'e' and requires the spelling change if the 'g' or 'c' is followed by another vowel.

For example,if you want to write 'we eat,' conjugate the verb as you normally would, but instead of writing 'mangons' - add an 'e' so it reads, 'mangeons.' Likewise, -cer verbs require a "ç" if it's followed by another vowel. So instead of writing 'commencons,' you would write 'commençons.' This spelling change takes place most often in the first person plural (nous), but can also occur in the third person plural (ils) of some tenses.

changer - to change

commencer - to begin (to commence)

corriger - to correct

exiger - to demand

manger - to eat

nager - to swim

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